OMD and Walt Disco at the Fox Theater in Oakland

After the postponement of their 2024 tour, OMD made their long-awaited return to Oakland’s historic Fox Theater, playing to a sold out crowd on a lazy Father’s Day Sunday.

Glasgow’s Walt Disco kicked off the evening promptly at 7:30 a got the already-full room’s attention with their unique flavor of glam rock that perfectly complemented what was to follow from the evening’s headliners.

Since reuniting in 2006 after a decade-long hiatus, OMD has been as active as ever … touring and releasing new music including 2023’s critically acclaimed Bauhaus Staircase, which played a central role in the evening’s setlist which kicked off with “Anthropocene.”

With Paul Humphreys (keyboards), Martin Cooper (keyboards) and Stuart Kershaw (drums) largely fixed to their respective risers across the read of the stage, frontman Any McCluskey had ample space to roam the stage … kicking off the set by demonstrating his signature dance moves before picking up the bass. Hard to believe the guy’s pushing 65 years of age as he brought that youthful energy to the mostly middle-aged crowd.

While paying special attention to the band’s latest release, the career-spanning set left few wanting. Even though they dropped one of their biggest hits (“If You Leave”) early in the evening, the audience (noticeably on the tipsy side) was more that happy to stick around and dance the night away. Maybe even more surprising was their familiarness with the newer materials. Clearly OMD is no legacy band.

Setlist